Midterm Writing Tip

I've looked at a number of drafts of midterm book reviews and want to offer a couple of general suggestions for making your reviews as powerful as possible.

Get rid of "overused words and cliches". Our book reviews are short and therefore you need to make every word count! So, don't tell us that the book is "delightful" or that the illustrations "come to life" or that "children everywhere are sure to enjoy it". Be much more specific! Describe to the reader what is unique about the book, and then let readers draw their own conclusions!

One of the ways to do this is to follow the often-repeated writing advice "show, don't tell". I'm not saying that you should get rid of all general language, but that using examples will convince and interest the reader much more than general praise. Let's say that you want to let the reader know how funny Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse is. Rather than just saying, "The illustrations are sure to make children laugh", you might follow up with a quote from the book or describe the funniest picture or talk about the contrast between what Lilly says and what we see in the details of the picture.

To have "space" to do this go through your draft and "cross out unnecessary language". In such a short review you don't need to repeat yourself or state anything that would be obvious to a reader. Once you've cut out the unnecessary, you'll have much more space to write the specific!